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The game that has already seen release on Steam is back on consoles with more improvements and touchups. Outbreak: The New Nightmare (Drop Dead Studios, $12.99) is out now and I’m here to talk about this horror game and if it lives up to its own namesake. Let’s dive in!
Features/Description:
- Different Game Modes: Escape certain death alone in Campaign Mode, survive waves of the undead in Onslaught Mode, and complete challenges in Experiments Mode.
- Classic Survival Horror Gameplay: The horror experience you crave in a new, shinier package.
- Colorful Cast of Characters: Choose from unique characters – each with their own attributes; earn XP, level up, and customize to your heart’s content.
- Local Co-op: Play the entire game offline in split-screen co-op!
- Horrific Beauty: Experience the nightmare with stunning, high-definition 3D graphics.
- Classic Inventory: Your inventory is dangerously limited, so choose wisely!
- Den of Destruction: Wreak havoc with numerous firearms, explosives, and melee weapons.
Paying homage to the classic Resident Evil Outbreak games, Outbreak: The New Nightmare is the first fully 3D title in Dead Drop Studios’ Outbreak series – and the sequel to Outbreak (released in 2017). Prepare yourself for an unforgiving survival horror experience that’s seldom seen today as you scavenge for supplies, explore environments with multiple characters (each with their own attributes), and struggle to survive against the undead – now more horrifying than ever!
Trailer:
Audio/Visual:
Probably the best part of this game is the audio and visual components. You’ll find a lot of ties to Resident Evil that make this game a nice homage to those old PS1/N64/Dreamcast games. As soon as you’re pressing Start, the game grumbles the word “Outbreak” the same as they used to say “Resident Evil” back in the day. They have opted to used fixed camera angles like what the original RE games used. This makes the game particularly aggravating, but like, in a nostalgic way. If you didn’t like that limitation back then, you may not be too happy with their decision here.
The tones and atmosphere of the game are truly evocative of the old school 3D sandbox horror games. The look of the game is something more akin to Resident Evil 5 with Resident Evil 2 mechanics. But more on the type of gameplay in a little bit. The game definitely has it’s visual hiccups for sure. They’re not something that couldn’t be patched though. If you’re in a game where there is more zombies on screen than usual, you’ll find that the framerate drops. I hope they fix this with a patch soon enough. I’d like to play this with friends for the upcoming spooky season.
Gameplay:
Now, let’s discuss the campaign. Outbreak, the New Nightmare has five main levels to work your way through. There’s a series of missions throughout the levels of the campaign. Unlike Resident Evil though, this game doesn’t focus on mind-bending puzzles. It’s more fetch quests with zombies sprinkled in. For me, the difficult part of the game is it’s insistence on using tank controls. I truly wish they had opted to let you choose between a “Classic” setup and a modern one. When you’re fighting an enemy, none of them are terribly complicated once you have the proper camera angle and are aligned with the enemy. I’d recommend playing on a higher difficulty if you want a true challenge from anything other than the controls.
The game does get a bit switched up depending on what character you choose to play with. Each of them has their own distinct qualities that can help (or hinder) the playthrough. If you’re a completionist, there are a lot of characters to complete the game with. So it’s probably good that the game isn’t incredibly long, otherwise, it might feel daunting. If you’re not a completionist, you only have to play the campaign to unlock the other two modes in the game, more on that later.
If you’re really, really into completing the game entirely, there is also the option to play split screen co-op and online play. This game is a bit more fun when there is someone else along for the ride with you. Especially in a game that looks and plays like a Resident Evil game. I didn’t know anybody else who owned the game to play online with and I’m not into playing tasked based games with strangers, but I did have fun with the couch co-op split screen!
Replayabaility/Longevity:
There are other modes besides the campaign mode, of course. You’ll also have access to Onslaught and Experiments. Onslaught mode is more of a horde mode of sorts. Some people may actually prefer this mode as it’s more of a modern game mode. Fight waves of zombies and attempt to make it through to the next level. Experiments mode is literally just that, experiments. Imagine Campaign mode with elements of it tweaked. You may find a level played in total darkness, etc. As I said before, there’s lots of way to play through this game. Campaign, campaign with different characters, leveling up the characters completely, playing the other two modes, the split-screen couch co-op, and even online play. For the price of only $13, this game will last you a nice, long while.
Overall Thoughts:
Overall, while I didn’t hate this game, I can state that unless they fix some of the issues, it’s not a game I’ll go back to very much. I love Resident Evil style games, but this one is a little too on the nose. If you’re into the old school Resident Evil games (before 4), then this will be very much up your alley. Especially with the inclusion of split screen co-op and additional modes. If you didn’t like tank style controls and fixed cameras, you may want to wait until there is a sale on this before trying it out.
Purchase Links:
